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Lebanon

Lebanon

May 6, 2026

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Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains among the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026.

Culture

Lebanon's churches, mosques and archaeological sites damaged in Israeli strikes

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have damaged a growing number of cultural and religious sites, as sites in Israel have also sustained damage from Hezbollah and Iranian attacks.

Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard in the perimeter of the Parliament, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president in Beirut on January 8, 2025. Lebanese political heavyweights held talks on January 8, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, and which has been without a president for more than two years. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Under US pressure, will Lebanon repeal Israel Boycott Law?

The 1955 law criminalizes all dealings with Israel, raising questions about how far Beirut can even go with its current engagement, currently at the ambassadorial level.

Latest News

Analysis

Without exit strategy, Israel faces emboldened Hezbollah, limited options on Iran

Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside US State Department Counselor Michael Needham (2L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (2R), speaks during a meeting.

Analysis

Despite Trump pressure to limit Israel's Lebanon attacks, Aoun-Netanyahu meeting still unlikely

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

'Treason is war for external interests': Lebanon’s Aoun hits back at Hezbollah

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun (L) stands next to the parliament speaker Nabih Berri as he delivers a speech at the parliament building in Beirut Jan. 9, 2025.

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Hanna Davis

In Beirut, reporting on politics, migration, human rights

Rodayna Raydan

In Boqaata, reporting on culture

Lebanese Sunni Islamists shout slogans as they carry coffins of Lebanese Islamist militants after their bodies arrived from Syria, in Tripoli, northern Lebanon December 22, 2012. Funerals will be held in Lebanon for three Lebanese Islamist militants killed while fighting with rebels in Syria. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3BU8I

Lebanon’s Sunnis Feel Threatened Following Arsal Ambush

Following the conflict in the town of Arsal, the doubt and distrust between Sunni and Shiite political groups in Lebanon have spread to the military, writes Elie Hajj.

Lebanese Army soldiers deploy after gunmen ambushed the convoy of Lebanese Minister of Sports and Youth Faisal Karami in the northern city of Tripoli January 18, 2013. Gunmen ambushed the convoy in Tripoli on Friday, wounding three people and riddling a security patrol car with bullets, medics and witnesses said. Karami, appeared to be unhurt, the medics said. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3CLYJ

Lebanese Army Considers the Brink

Ali Hashem presents a Lebanese Army officer's insights into the prospect of growing domestic instability and the Syrian conflict's spillover into Lebanon.

Houses in the Jewish settlement of Halamish are seen from a road near West Bank city of Ramallah February 1, 2013. U.N. human rights investigators called on Israel on Thursday to halt settlement expansion and withdraw all half a million Jewish settlers from the occupied West Bank, saying that its practices could be subject to prosecution as possible war crimes. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTR3D82O

UN Panel Condemns Israeli Settlements

Clovis Maksoud argues that Israel must be recognized as an occupying power in the West Bank and Gaza as a prelude to meaningful negotiations.

Lebanese soldiers carry the coffin of Sergeant Ibranim Zahraman during his funeral in the town of Akkar northern Lebanon February 2, 2013. Four Lebanese soldiers and two gunmen were killed in clashes in the country's Bekaa Valley on Friday after militants attacked a Lebanese army unit, security sources said. REUTERS/Stringer (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3D9I8

Syrian Jihadist Groups Take Conflict To Lebanon

Friday’s deadly clash in Arsal, Lebanon, signals a dangerous escalation in confrontations between the Lebanese Army and Sunni Jihadist groups connected to those fighting in Syria, writes Jean Aziz from Beirut.

Dr. Aliza Lavie (C), a Yesh Atid (There's a future) party candidate, celebrates exit poll results at the party's headquarters in Tel Aviv January 22, 2013. Israel's parliament, long heavy with retired generals, is getting a new look, with a freshman class that includes two youth protest leaders, an Ethiopian immigrant, a high tech millionaire and more women than ever. Thanks to the surprise second place finish of Yesh Atid, as well as the success of a new far-right group, the 120-member Knesset will have a

Economy Trumps Palestinian Issue In Israel

Nassif Hitti writes that addressing the Palestinian question would help tackle the economic concerns that dominated Israel's elections.

Palestinian children who were living in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp before fleeing Syria, hold up banners during a protest in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Beirut January 17, 2013. Banners read, "The International Committee of the Red Cross is the conscience of the international community towards refugees" (R) and "Why the international community miserly to some places, and generous in some others?". REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: SOCIETY IMMIGRATION POLITI

Divisions Increase Among Palestinian Factions in Syria

Rifts in Fatah al-Intifada have emerged as support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime ebbs and flows throughout various Palestinian refugee groups in Syria and Lebanon, writes Mohammad Harfoush.

Remembering Elias Shoufani

Clovis Maksoud remembers the contributions of Elias Shoufani.

Fighters from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra sit in their tank near Taftanaz military airport January 12, 2013. Picture taken January 12, 2013.REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR3CFWU

Jabhat al-Nusra Disrupts Syrian Opposition

Mohammad Harfoush analyzes the growing influence of the Salafist jihadist group Jabhat al-Nusra, and concludes that despite its military success, it has "contributed to the disarray of the revolution."

Free Syrian Army fighters help an injured comrade (2nd R) during heavy fighting in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Abdullah (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3D5SX

Time to Stop the Bleeding in Syria

Clovis Maksoud comments on the need for international support to end the conflict in Syria.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al Khaled al Sabah (R) hold a news conference after the first day of the "International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria" in Bayan Palace, Kuwait, January 30, 2013. Donor countries have pledged more than $1.5 billion to aid Syrians stricken by civil war, Ban said on Wednesday after warning that the conflict had wrought a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTR3D

Lebanon Seeks More Aid For Syrian Refugees

Lebanon is looking to the international community for aid to cope with the influx of Syrian refugees, writes Nasser Chararah.

A Lebanese activist, dressed as a bride, carries a sign during the Lebanese Laique Pride, a secular march towards citizenship, in Beirut May 6, 2012. The signs read, "A Muslim secular supporting the civil marriage" and "Freedom, peace, human rights" (L). REUTERS/Wadih Shlink (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY IMMIGRATION) - RTR31OXC

Is Lebanon a Veiled Theocracy?

Recent debate in Lebanon over the legalization of civil marriage has caused an uproar and raised questions about the true nature of the Lebanese Republic, writes Jean Aziz.

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by the patriarch of Lebanese Christian Maronites, Bishara Boutros al-Rai, as Lebanon's President looks on upon his arrival at Beirut's airport September, 14, 2012. REUTERS/ Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR37YUG

Lebanese Elections Linked To Syria, Regional Crisis

Although regional crises threaten to postpone upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections, the international community is insistent upon elections taking place on time, writes Mohammad Harfoush.